GOP Ties Obama To Blagojevich Arrest
The GOP is wasting no time trying to tie Obama to the news of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's arrest on charges of conspiring to sell Obama's Senate seat.
The Republican National Committee blasted out an email highlighting Obama's ties to the Governor, noting that Obama advised Blagojevich on his gubernatorial run and highlighting an August 2006 quote from Obama:
"We've got a governor in Rod Blagojevich who has delivered consistently on behalf of the people of Illinois."
That isn't much at all. Though Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett is in the midst of the case as the candidate Obama reportedly wanted for the Senate seat, there's no suggestion of any wrongdoing on her part. Still, Republicans are already trying to use Obama's association with the Governor to associate Obama with corrupt Chicago politics and tar his reformist image, and Obama will almost certainly have to address this himself today.
Well, that didn't take long. We now have our Whitewater v.2008.
December 9, 2008 12:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, no doubt the Repooplicans will keep beating this horse long after it dies. And then sticking syringes of adrenalin in it. And shocking it with a defibrillator. And beating it some more.
December 9, 2008 12:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
And don't forget Fox News. This morning, while they had somebody on the phone talking about the indictment, they ran a montage of pictures of Blago. Dozens of different pictures -- and every single one also had Obama in it.
Subtle, huh?
December 9, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Where's RaeK when we need her? REZKO REZKO REZKO REZKO REZKO!!! What part of "expletive 'em" don't the Republicans understand?
Never mind.
December 9, 2008 12:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
The "expletive 'em" clears Obama...clearly! The RNC sounds desperate and pathetic, per usual. Unfortunately, if Obama does "address this himself today", it just gives the RNC talking points more press than they ever deserve on this story. I am sure Faux News and their ignorant (as proven by polls) viewers are already foaming at the mouth, more than usual, today.
December 9, 2008 12:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
The RNC. How quaint.
December 9, 2008 12:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who cares what the MINORITY says about anything?
Seriously - I'm with CT: REZKO REZKO REZKO!
December 9, 2008 12:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rezko is coming. I'm already seeing wingnut commenters pointing to this Washington Times story as if it were just published today:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/18/whistleblower-hits-obama-friends-appraisal/
It's at the top of Drudge right now. And he's treating it as if it's "new". In fact, he prints an excerpt from that October complaint and makes it appear as if it were pulled from the Blagojevich charges filed this week.
Idiots.
December 9, 2008 12:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good for Drudge and I"m happy for the Right- now they have something to do.
They operate best out of the minority where they can have no end of False Outrage parties.
December 9, 2008 12:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I thought y'all loved minorities...what happened?
December 9, 2008 2:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey everybody! SFC made a funny!!
December 9, 2008 3:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Democratic Senator from Illinois is "connected" to the Democratic Governor from Illinois? Well, clutch the pearls! Who's ever heard of such a thing? Surely, surely this means they were also having bareback gay sex in a city park washroom!
December 9, 2008 12:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait...doesn't that mean the governor of Alaska is connected to Alaska's former senator turned convicted felon?
I say impeach Palin for it NOW! Every time anything happens in a state, or to someone who someone commented favorably on once, the entire state must be incinerated and every person who ever met or referenced the guilty individual must be shot...likewise with their families.
Oh, wait, is this not China?
December 9, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Larry Craig sure hopes so:
See what important things we're not talking about today????
December 9, 2008 12:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
You beat me to it. . .
December 9, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
What the hell would be wrong with that? We all have needs.
December 9, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lol, the trolls have already come out of the woodwork over at HuffPo and I'm sure everywhere else...its almost adorable how pathetic and desperate they are.
What they do when they don't have any tin foil hat baseless accusations to throw around is a mystery...but I'm assuming it involves sitting alone in the dark googling images of Fred Thompson while masturbating, and crying.
December 9, 2008 12:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
You forgot about me! Also too!
December 9, 2008 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
They are googling you with their free hand, still lookin' for that swimsuit layout, you betcha!
December 9, 2008 12:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I think Kristol and Barnes want Sarah to be in the next Weekly Standard's centerfold...
December 9, 2008 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was thinking G. Gordon Liddy's next "Stacked and Packed" calendar!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko8uJDF7Maw
December 9, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
All Obama needs to do is release a statement that the Governor should step down.
It is clear that Obama has nothing to do with this.
December 9, 2008 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
If I could channel Glinda the Good, I'd wave a wand and have Obama release a statement saying Blago should go, and that the Obama camp contacted the Feds immediately upon hearing Blago's overtures.
Oh, and I'd ask for world peace, of course.
December 9, 2008 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama's going to handle this the same way he handled every other "issue" or "problem" during his campaign. It's going to become a non-issue for Obama faster than it became an issue.
December 9, 2008 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
What a surprise? GOP ties Obama to corruption. Those jerks have been trying to tie Obama to corrupt politicians for 20 months.
December 9, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank god they said fuck em, i was so relieved when i saw that.
December 9, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
That was exactly my first thought. For the public to understand what happened, that would probably be one of the easiest and simplest expressions.
December 9, 2008 12:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Poop on the RNC.
December 9, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm just sad for the Obama team, who will loose a some lustre and will suffer a lot of innuendo because of this- even though they seem clearly far from this.
Also, transition HQ being in Chicago doesn't help.
It will be interesting to see how cautious media will be in reporting- but I'm not hopeful.
This sucks!!!
December 9, 2008 12:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, it does. This will be the basis of constant under-the-breath muttering from Republicans for the next eight years.
December 9, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
...hopefully we'll be done in 4.
December 9, 2008 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that Obama will be okay. Obama survived Rezko, Jeremiah Wright, and Bill Ayers. He will survive this and he will be perfectly fine.
Obama has a Teflon coat.
December 9, 2008 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
The MSM isn't on his side this time...
December 9, 2008 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. But on the other hand, the Obama attacks might rally many of the Dems who have been taking a breather and have tuned out after the election.
December 9, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does this surprise anyone? It's an RNC wet dream. For them, it's a nice launching pad from which to begin four years of utter nonsense. This is why corrupt Dems deserve so much utter scorn and shame. People like Spitzer and Jefferson deserve the worst.
December 9, 2008 12:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree.
December 9, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have no sympathy for either Spitzer or Jefferson. Or Mahoney, who got caught running around on his wife, or John Edwards, who got caught and whined about it.
But I am not worried about some tarnish on the administration because I don't think there is any there there.
December 9, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe, but if it wasn't this, it would be something else - they can't function if they're not running in "full fake-outrage" mode. Also, this isn't 1992 when they worked themselves into a lather over the Clintons....with everything we're facing right now, I'm not sure the country has the patience to put up with the non-stop political posturing.
December 9, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Faux scandals like Whitewaterfostermonicagate can only thrive when excessive peace and prosperity is leaving the MSM with too little to do. Same as stories about shark attacks that and Missing Attractive White Women in Peril.
December 9, 2008 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
If I were a spokesperson for O I would get out there right away and call the GOP on this on CNN, pointing out how they are trying to tie Obama to this scandal with no credible evidence, yet again bringing to the forefront the partisan bickering politics America rejected on November 4th.
December 9, 2008 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why waste breath crafting a response?
When Blago said "Fuck him" about Obama, that says all America needs to know about the future President's connection to this case.
December 9, 2008 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
As surely as something like this revives long-moribund trolls who gleefully forecast Obama's certain doom, it revives panic-stricken Democrats frantically telling Obama what he'll have to do to escape his certain doom.
December 9, 2008 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
The RNC better be careful about casting stones given their close association with, um, George Bush.
December 9, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now we know why Obama has been wearing a White Sox cap all these months. It's his disguise to avoid any implication in Blago/Trib/Cubs scheme.
December 9, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama's cabinet/VP decisions should've made Blaggy realize that the man's not really a "quid pro quo" politician.
December 9, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, no, no....you're reading that all wrong. Obama's knee-deep in all of this..."F**k him" was just a code to show appreciation for everything Obama was going to do for him. "motherf***er"? Just a term of endearment.
December 9, 2008 1:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's an O'Reilly-on-Sylvia's-restaurant joke in here somewhere, but I can't quite tease it out.
December 9, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
:)
December 9, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Blago was dreaming about a cabinet appointment for appointing Obama's choice into the vacant seat - even mentioning HHS or Energy.
December 9, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I never thought I would never say this, but I hope the media keep repeating in a endless loop- the fact that someone called Obama "motherfucker."
LOL!!!
December 9, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama very lucky that Valerie Jarrett took her name out of the running for the Senate seat and it's clear the Governor was pissed that Obama would do absolutely nothing for this Senate seat and even called him a "mother f*cker".
December 9, 2008 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think Jarrett taking herself out of the running so quickly was a coincidence. I'm betting it was directly connected to Blagojevich's scumbagginess. And I wouldn't be surprised if Obama's team gave Fitz a heads up.
That said, as I read through the complaints, I see nothing to indicate that Blagojevich and his folks directly solicited the Obama team for anything in exchange for naming Jarrett to the Senate seat. All of what I've read involves discussion between Blagojevich and his staff and a discussion with somebody from the SEIU. I think they were reading the tea leaves and realized that Obama was going to give Blagojevich anything for a Jarrett senate appointment. And, again, Jarrett was out of the running pretty early on.
And I get no sense that Obama was ever close to Blagojevich. In fact, I've read that he's never been a fan.
December 9, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think luck had anything to do with it.
December 9, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
It wasn't luck that Jarrett took her name out of contention; it was in response to Blagovich's demand for favors in exchange for her appointment. They went public to make it very clear that they were not going to play ball with this skeevy guy.
December 9, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is going to be tainted by this unless he went right to Fitzgerald when Blagojevich tried to hustle him for appointments or money.
December 9, 2008 1:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. I think at this point that's the only question, and rest is all hooplah....I understand if they didn't approached the fFds, because who wants to meddle with Chicago politics at a point where you're busy making a smooth transition effort.
But if they did, they will look like effing heroes.
December 9, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
But as I noted above, the only way they could have approached Fitz was if Blagojevich and co. directly solicited a quid pro quo. It doesn't look like there is anything in the complaint indicating that this happened...just a bunch of chatter between and assumptions made by Blagojevich and his staff.
December 9, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Blago didn't seem to understand subtlety in these matters and when Obama reached out saying he would appreciate if Valerie Jarrett was considered for his vacant seat he was probably greeted with "What kind of appreciation are we talking about - money or a cabinet job?"...
December 9, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right. They had the guy's office and phone bugged...I would think that if he had really "hustled" Obama's people it would be more directly laid out in the complaint. For all we know, Blago could've just been reading the tea leaves and knew he wasn't going to get anywhere.
December 9, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
The way I see it-pure speculation- Jarrett withdrew herself when it seemed clear Blagojevich wanted something in return. Obama team by some measure (direct or indirect) sent a sign they were not doing any deals.
But I see your point.
We don't know yet if at all Obama team came in contact with the Governor. It could just have been the cold shoulder.
December 9, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
You and Jonze are the biggest doomsayers I've ever seen! Geez. The guy is on the record angrily swearing and saying that Obama is won't give him anything and you're saying "but this is going to hurt Obama." Puhleeze.
Of course it's going to hurt Obama . . . with the folks at NoQuarter who are convinced that he stole the nomination through the cacuses and wasnt' really born in Hawaii. You know, the folks who spend their lives dreaming up new ways to make Obama a scumbag. If you spend your time worrying about what they will say, you're crazy!
December 9, 2008 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jonze has a wonderful ability to identify the worst case scenario for any situation.
I'll admit, I found it initially annoying, but now I appreciate this ability.
December 9, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Identifying the worst case scenario is different from betting on the worst case scenario. This is the latter and it's a shitty way to go through life, not to mention being a permanent Debbie Downer.
December 9, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sorry if it came across as doomsday scenario. That was not my intention and I don't think you read my comments often, because I'm not much inclined to the negative takes.
First, it's not a doomsday scenario. I'm just pointing out that the only relavence Obama team have in the case is the nature of contact in the whole case, if there was any contact at all.
If they're the whistleblowers they will be heroes. If they showed a cold shoulder there will be sense of relief.
I had no intent to express any serious concern.
December 9, 2008 2:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
You and Jonze are 100% right, it's not going to be enough that Obama's people told Blog to take a hike...if they didn't tip off the investigators there will be a taint.
December 9, 2008 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
At this point, there is no evidence, or even an allegation, that Blago tried to hustle Obama for anything. Maybe it happened, but you're getting ahead of yourself. At this point, there's just an inference from an allegation.
December 9, 2008 3:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
From HuffPo article -
December 9, 2008 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great news!!!
December 9, 2008 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
That would shut up the wingers, huh? And it would be further proof that Obama and his team walk the walk. I await confirmation. But I wouldn't be shocked at all - I could definitely see the Obama team turning in this scumbag.
December 9, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
You'd think. But given that they're still blathering their tinfoil hat birth certificate crazytalk, I doubt it. Like all conspiracy theorists, they'll insist that the inconvenient fact was fabricated by "them" or else rework their theory so that evidence of innocence becomes evidence of complicity.
December 9, 2008 3:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know what? The election is over. Obama won in a landslide and is currently more popular than ice cream. So now we can just say "Fuck the Thugs- who cares what they say".
December 9, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm with you, Steve. Folks here act like (a) we're still in the middle of a campaign and (b) it's not crystal clear that the only thing Obama did wrong was being from a state with a corrupt governor!
December 9, 2008 2:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Word.
December 9, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Two problems, 375-173 isn't a landslide and ice cream is at 87% approval, 14 points ahead of Obama.
December 9, 2008 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
You must live in a state where its still warm.
December 9, 2008 3:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
And, you're right, 375-173 is just short of the technical definition of "landslide" according to my Definitive Offical Handbook of Vague Election Idioms. Instead, its merely at the high end of "Kicked Their Asses With Steel-toed Cowboy Boots."
December 9, 2008 3:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
He does.
Ice-cream here in CT, in contrast, has an approval rating rivaling yesterday's windchill: 3.
December 9, 2008 3:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
We've had the coldest November and December remember since global warming kicked in back in the mid-90s.
Ice cream sucks. Hot chocolate, especially that fat and calorie-packed drinking chocolate stuff--rules.
December 9, 2008 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hah!
December 9, 2008 3:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
The plain language of the Blago indictment should be enough to keep the Repub talking points against Obama out of the mainstream.
Oh, that's right, the plain language of the Libby indictment did not do any good for the interests of truth either.
I guess we are not done hearing "Rezko, Rezko, Rezko".....
December 9, 2008 2:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
The 'wright-wingers' can blab all they want about implicit connections.
We still won in November.
December 9, 2008 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
I seem to recall U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald pretty much said that Obama didn't have anyting to do with the mess. Seems to me like the repugs are just making a mountain out of a piece of sand.
December 9, 2008 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obummer is probably too smart to not just meet him in some dark parking lot, but no one should assume he is not corrupt just because he didn't call him.....that is what stooges are for and you know he has them.
I am sorry I voted for the traitor. His right wing warmonger choices for his cabinet send chills down my spine. It did not take even a month for him to betray us........so much for change.
December 10, 2008 4:36 AM | Reply | Permalink